Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1887-08-13

4
seconds to enact. soon got the magazine of
the repeater filed again with cartridges, and
once more opened fire. not on the seething
black mass which was gathering at the end
of the kraal. but ON fugitives who bethought
them to climb the wall | picked or several
of these men, moving down towards The end
of the kraal as | did so, and arriving at the
corner, or rather the bend Of the oval, in
time to see, and by means of my rifle to
assist in the mighty struggle that took place
there
By this time some 300 Masai--alowing that
we had up to the present accounted for fifty
had gathered together in front Of the thorn
stopped entrance, driven thither by the spears
of Goods men, whom they doubtless sup
posed were large force instead of being but
ten strong. For some reason il never oc-
CURED to them to try and rush the wall,
which they could have scrambled over with
comparative ease; rhey all made for the
fence, which was really a strongly intor-
woven fertilization. With a bound the first
warrior went at it, and even before he
touched the ground on the other side saw
Sir Henry's great axe swing up and fall with
awful force upon his feather head piece, and
he sank into the middle of the thorns Then,
with a yell snd crash, they began TO break
through as they might, and ever as they came
the great axe swung and 1nkosi-kaaS flashed,
and they fell dead one by one, each man thus
helping to build up barrier against his
fellows. Those who escaped the axes of the
pair fell at the hands of the Askari and the
two mission Kaffirs, and those who passed
scathless from them were brought low by my
own and Mackenzie's fire,
Faster and more furious grew the fighting.
Single Nasal would spring upon the dead
bodies of their comrades, and engage one or
other of the axmen with their long spears,
but, thanks chiefly to the mail shirts, the re-
suit was always the same.
Good and his men We're quite close by now,
and our people had to cease firing into the
mass for fear of killing some of them las it
was, one of them was slain in this way. Mad
and desperate with fear, the Nasal by q
frantic effort burst through the thorn fence
and piled up dead, and sweeping Curtis,
Umslopogaas, and the other three before
them, broke into the open. And now il
was that we began to lose men fast Down
went our poor Askari who was armed with
the AK, great spear standing out foot be-
hind his back and before long the two spears
men who had stood with him went down too,
dying fighting like tigers, and others of our
party shared their fate. For a moment /
feared the fight was lost-certainly it trembled
in the balance / shouted to my men to cast
down their rifles, and to take spears and
throw themselves into the melee. They
obeyed, their blood being now thoroughly up,
and Mr.. Mackenzie's people followed their
example,
This move had momentary good result,
but still the fight hung in the balance.
Our people fought magnifcently, hurting
themselves upon the dark mass of Elmoran,
hewing, thrusting, staying and being slain.
And ever above the din rose Goods awful
yell of encouragement as he plunged to
wherever the fight was thickest; and ever,
with an almost machine like regularity, the
two axes rose and fell, carrying death and
disablement at every stroke. But could see
that the strain was beginning to tell on Sir
Henry, who was bleeding from several flesh
wounds; his breath was coming in gasps, and
the veins stood out on his forehead lire l.uc
| and knotted cords. Even UmsopogaaS, man
of iron that he was, was hard pressed. 1
| myself did not go into the melee, but lowered
| outside like the swift "bacls" i'll q football
scrimmage, putting a bullet through 4Iasai
whenever got a chance. | was more use So
| fired forty nine cartridges that morning,
| and did not miss many shots
| Presently, do as we would, the beam of the
balance began TO rise against us. We had
not more than fifteen or sixteen electives left
now, and the Nasal had at least fifty. OF
course, if they had kept their heads, and
shaken themselves together, they could soon
| have made am end of the matter; but that is
| just what they did not do, not having yet re-
| covered from their start, and some Of them
| having actually fled from their sleeping
| places without their weapons. Still, by now
many individuals were fighting with their
normal courage and discretion, and this alone
| was sufficient to defeat us TO make matters
worse just then, when Mackenzies rifle was
empty a brawny savage, armed with "A
| "sme,n or sword, made n rush for him. Tie
clergyman flung down his gun, and drawing
| his huge carver from his elastic bolt llis re-
| volver had dropped out in the hShQ, they
closed in desperate struggle Presently,
| locked in close embrace, missionary and
Nasal rolled on to the ground behind the
WALL and for some time ], being amply occu-
pied with my own affairs. and in keeping my
skin from being pricked, remained in ignor-
ance of his fate or how the duel had ended
To and fro surged the fight, slowly turning
round like the vortex OF human whirlpool,
! ana the matter began 10 look NSiy ptu lOI ua.
Just then, however, "A fortunate thing hap
| pened. Umsopogaas, either by accident OF
| design, broke out Of the ring and engaged a
warrior at sogne few PAGES from it, As he
did so, another man ran up and struck him
with all his force between the shoulders with
his great spear, which, falling on the tough
steel shirt failed 10 pierce it and reboundsd.
| For a moment the man stared agbast-pro-
tective armor being unknown among these
| tribes-and then he yelled out at the top OF
his voice:
''They are devilsl-bewitched, bewitchedr'
and seized by a sudden panic, he threw down
his spear and began TO fly. 1 cut short his
career with bullet, and Umslopogaas
Drained bis man, and then the panic spread
to the others,
aBewitched, bewitehedlp they cried, and
| tried 70 eacnna in every direction ntterlY